Chatham Leads End-of-season All League Lineup
22 August 2018

Chatham's Michael Busch (33) swings into a foul ball during the Cape Cod Baseball League's 2018 playoffs. Busch finished the season with a .322 batting average and was one of six Chatham Anglers named to the All League Team. Kat Szmit Photo

The ball fields are largely silent and the crowds have all gone home, but the 2018 season of the Cape Cod Baseball League still echoes on with the release of this year's All League Team. The full list was announced last week, with a number of familiar players making the annual roster.

Chris Thoms, the official statistician for the Cape League, worked with interns Bobby Greeley and James Palazesi to pore over the stats for every player, compiling a list of 30 of the League's top players. Leading the way with an impressive six All League players was the Chatham Anglers, who saw Michael Busch (infield utility), Spencer Torkelson (OF), Blake Sabol (OF), Alek Manoah (pitcher), Troy Miller (pitcher) and Tristin English (utility) make the roster.

Busch served the Anglers as a first baseman, posting a .322 batting average. In 27 games, Busch had 90 at bats with 29 hits, 19 runs, four doubles, six homers and 17 RBIs as well as three stolen bases. Teammate Torkelson, also a first baseman, took a brief break from Cape League action with Team USA before returning to the Anglers, coming away with a .333 batting average. In 25 games Torkelson had 81 at bats with 27 hits, 18 runs, nine doubles, seven home runs and a whopping 25 RBIs.

Also smacking seven home runs during the 2018 season was Blake Sabol. The Chatham catcher had 103 at bats across 37 games with 35 hits for a .340 batting average that included 22 RBIs and three doubles. Coming in just behind Busch was Tristin English, a double-duty player who spent time at first base and on the pitcher's mound. As a batter, English had a .300 average, with 100 at bats in 32 games in which he had 16 runs, 30 total hits, six doubles and five home runs. On the mound English pitched four games for 11.2 innings total, allowing just 12 hits, four runs and eight strikeouts for a 2.31 ERA.

Alek Manoah pitched seven games for the Anglers for a total of 33.1 innings in which he allowed 15 hits and 14 runs, with a stellar 48 strikeouts for a 2.70 ERA, while teammate Troy Miller pitched 23.2 innings across nine games in which he had 29 strikeouts with nine allowed hits and five runs for an ERA of 1.14.

The Harwich Mariners saw four players named to the All League Team: Tanner Morris (shortstop), Ricky DeVito (pitcher), Andrew Misiaszek (pitcher), and Andre Lipcius (utility). Morris, the team's shortstop, earned a .331 batting average in his 136 at bats in 35 games in which he had 45 hits that included 20 RBIs, two homers, one triple and eight doubles. Following close behind was Lipcius, first baseman and winner of the Manny Robello 10th Player Award. Lipcius had 160 at bats in 43 games, including 27 RBIs, four home runs, 11 doubles and 50 hits total for a .313 batting average.

Pitcher DeVito stepped in for eight games in the 2018 season, pitching 29.1 innings with 27 hits, 11 runs allowed and 35 strikeouts for a 2.45 ERA, while Misiaszek stepped in for 24.1 innings in 17 games, allowing 13 hits and three runs with 27 strikeouts for a 1.11 ERA.

Three players from the Orleans Firebirds joined the roster: Logan Wyatt (infield utility), JJ Bleday (OF), and Kevin Kelly (pitcher). Wyatt, who served the Firebirds in the first base position, had a .305 batting average earned in 128 at bats across 40 games in which he had 39 hits, five doubles, four homers and 25 RBIs. Bleday, meanwhile, had 148 at bats in 36 games in which he had 46 hits, nine doubles, two triples, five home runs and 15 RBIs for a .311 average. On the mound, Kelly pitched in 13 games for a total of 36 innings in which he allowed 23 hits, six runs and 27 strikeouts.

For a full list of players named to the All League Team visit capecodbaseball.org/news.